Marshall announces first Legends Tour event at Italian Senior Open – Golf News
Andrew Marshall claimed his first victory on the Legends Tour at the Sergio Melpignano Italian Senior Open after posting a superb closing score of 66 at San Domenico Golf.
The Briton beat overnight leader Phillip Price to finish on -14, two strokes ahead of France’s Lionel Alexandre and Swedish rookie Johan Edfors, who both matched Marshall’s 66 to finish tied for second on -12.
Medal of Merit leader Scott Hend and one of those chasing him, Peter Baker, were further behind at -11 strokes after shooting 67. Welshman Phillip Price, who led by four shots through the first two rounds, opened with a stunning 64 to cap off a day to remember. The 2002 Ryder Cup star was the only player in the top 20 to hit over par, finishing sixth at -10 with a 74.
For Marshall, who plays alongside Price, patience paid off after a number of close calls in recent years, including two years ago in Italy when James Kingston roared across the course for a 61 to seal the win.
“It feels really good,” said Marshall, a two-time winner on the MENA Tour and PGA EuroPro Tour. “I wasn’t really thinking about winning this morning because Price was so far ahead. I’ve been close to winning a few times and when you see other guys winning you do think ‘When is it going to be my turn?’ So it’s awesome to finally do it. I still can’t believe it’s real.
“It’s amazing what happened. Phil actually hit the ball on No. 3 and it was so fast that it just hit the pin and then went across the green. So a beautiful shot turned into a three-putt bogey, and you wonder if that was a sign. I hit it on the turn. It was nice to get to five or six and it was all about timing. Then I screwed up all the holes and here I am in the champagne. Now I know I can do it and hopefully it won’t be too late to do it again or I’ll at least give myself a chance.”
With Price back in the lead, many players were charging toward the top of the leaderboard, including Scott Hend, who eagled the second hole and then added more birdies to move to -10 around the turn.
Johan Edfors also looked shouting after shooting a 31 on the back nine to score -12. The Swede, making his first appearance on the Legends Tour, had 17 birdies for the week and was clearly delighted to be back on a course where he last played 20 years ago.
“It’s great to be back in San Domenico,” said the three-time DP World Tour winner. “I had a great first week on the Legends Tour. I’ve been practicing and playing some tournaments, but playing in an official tournament is a lot different. I’m happy with my game and excited to take it to the court.
“It was tougher than I thought it would be, but I was actually calm and played my best golf today today. If I could have holed a few more putts, it could have been a really good day. I hit a lot of good shots and gave myself a lot of good opportunities, which is what you want.”
